AGENCY TESTIMONY
DEP's perspective on Intro 33: Notification of water service work
0:42:54
·
72 sec
The commissioner presents DEP's perspective on Intro 33, which would require notification about planned work affecting water service. He outlines current practices and potential challenges with the proposed legislation.
- DEP currently notifies community boards about emergency construction and water main breaks
- The agency posts notices in neighborhoods about potential impacts of water shutoffs
- DEP has created new positions to strengthen communication with communities
- The agency agrees with the objectives of the bill but seeks to collaborate on the language
- Challenges include the current practice of scheduling work the day before, which conflicts with the proposed 48-hour notification requirement
Rohit T Aggarwala
0:42:54
Intro 33 would require DEP to notify council members and community boards 48 hours before work that would cause discolored water or loss of water pressure.
0:43:03
Currently, our community affairs team notifies community boards as soon as we confirm locations for emergency construction.
0:43:09
They also update impacted community boards and elected officials during water main breaks in real time.
0:43:16
Prior to water shutoffs, our contractors and field operations teams post notices and neighborhoods and on doors with information on potential impacts and instructions.
0:43:25
We are committed to keeping constant robust communication with elected officials and residents.
0:43:31
We have recently created the position of borough community borough commissioner in our community affairs unit, specifically to strengthen lines of communication.
0:43:40
We would welcome discussions about how we can make additional improvements.
0:43:44
Because this bill would codify and refine current DEP practice, we would like to work with the council to ensure that it does not unnecessarily add cost or complicate operations.
0:43:53
For example, we currently schedule work the day before it is done.
0:43:57
So we could not send out notifications 48 hours before.
0:44:01
As a result, we agree with the objectives of this bill but would seek to collaborate on the language.
